Amtrak Bets on Beef Byproduct Biodiesel

Amtrak hopes beef fat can make it green.

The rail company is testing the viability of alt fuel passenger trains by launching a biofuel pilot program on the Heartland Flyer line between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas. The train will run on B20 derived from rendered beef fat. Emissions and engine data collected during the pilot will help Amtrak determine the viability of using alternative fuels on a larger scale.

The 12-month test is supported by a $274,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration. Amtrak says the Heartland Flyer, which uses 100,000 gallons of diesel to move 84,000 people annually, is a perfect laboratory.

“We chose beef simply because it is available in the market where we’re running the test” Magliari says. “They don’t grow all that much corn down there.”

The beef industry is happy to be involved. Disposing of post-processing beef byproducts, as stuff left on the cutting room floor is called, isn’t cheap or easy. The industry is only too happy to be rid of it, especially since American beef production is expected to grow at least 1 percent annually. And according to beeftallow.com (Yes, we’re serious.), a carne concoction is cleaner than fossil fuels and some plant-based fuels.

Amtrak has high hopes for the test, but don’t expect a network of alt-fuel passenger trains anytime soon. For one thing, biofuel is more expensive than diesel. Magliari says the spread has in the past two years narrowed to within 5 cents a gallon. That’s still a big difference when you’re buying fuel in the quantities Amtrak is.

Amtrak also claims some alt fuels can play hell on its enginesl, which is why it overhauled the Heartland Flyer’s 3,200-horsepower engine for the test. That way it can better measure the biofuel’s impact on valves and gaskets. Amtrak also will collect exhaust emissions data. In previous tests, an 80/20 biofuel blend (aka B20) cut hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions 10 percent. Particulates fell 15 percent and sulphates 20.

Although Amtrak says it is too early to say whether the alt fuel program will be extended to other lines, it does see biofuel as a way to market riding the rails as being greener than flying.

“If you look at the stats, we’re 20 percent more efficient,” says Magliari. “This will make us even better.”

As if to make its point, Amtrak is offering 50 percent off on companion ticket to those who book a seat on the Heartland Flyer before May 28.